Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 122,131 complaints for HONDA
Incident date: May 4, 2026
Please update recall repair status to repaired for this VIN (dealer repair invoice attached)
Incident date: May 11, 2026
My less than a year old Lexus GX550 was sitting in the driveway and the sunroof exploded. The car was not moving and it exploded outwards into a ton of pieces. The dealership claims that it is not a warrantable part. No foreign object hit the sunroof, even then it shouldn't shatter, only crack. It is my assumption that defective glass from the factory was installed into my vehicle and caused the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2026
The ABS system failed and the car crashed and when the ABS system failed the airbag light came on but airbags did not deploy in significant front end collision
Crash
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Description of Defect: When the vehicle is shifted into reverse, the rearview camera display freezes for several seconds before going black. This malfunction creates a direct and serious safety hazard — during the period the display is frozen, the image shown does not reflect actual real-time conditions behind the vehicle. Any pedestrian, child, or object that moves into the path of the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
This truck has a recall on it but by specific VIN numbers mine doesn’t fall into the VIN number but had the same catastrophic oil cooler line failure, which is in the recall which caused the engine tool expire with 40,000 miles on it. Truck is like brand new General Motors will not honor the warranty even though it’s the failure that’s in the warranty makes no sense.
Incident date: May 12, 2026
The rocker arm of the engine has failed, causing a repair for a full engine replacement. The car has always undergone maintenance timely, and upon inspection by the dealership technician, the report state the vehicle was up to adequate level. There were no symptoms before the issue occurred, only the sudden catastrophic engine failure.
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The headlights have a shadow half way down the windshield making it very difficult to see at night. We don't feel safe driving when it is dark out. We took it to the dealer the end of January they saw what we were talking about. One of the foreman drove it home at night. He saw what we were talking about but gave no solutions. We took it in again the shop foreman adjusted the headlights up. We d... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2004 Chrysler 300. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle T-Bone crashed into a second vehicle. During crash the frontend of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained neck, back, shoulder and left arm and left leg injures and was transported to the local hospital. The vehicle was towed to the local impoundment lot. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Steering sticks/locks while driving requires excessive input. Feels like the lane departure is controlling the steering and fighting you for control. There is a recall for the same issue but our VIN is not included. Honda needs to re-evaluate to expand RECALL as this appears to apply to more than the original recalled VIN’s.
HONDA
CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2020) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
Engine was replaced in 2023. In March 2026 there was a fuel line leak to include fuel misting near heat components. The vehicle was in a fender bender but Hyundai determined this did not cause the leak which eludes to this being a faulty installation of the engine replacement associated with the recall. I’ve reviewed my 2023 engine replacement invoice. I see the Service Kits were used to transf... Read more
Crash
HONDA
CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2020) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
I was made aware of recall last fall. Dealer looked at the vehicle, confirmed diagnosis and stated that there was no fix for the problem. Last month I was contacted by the dealer to have the recall repair completed. I scheduled appointment and brought the car in only to have them tell me that despite back up camera having the issues that they are not able to perform the recall because ford will no... Read more
HONDA
CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2020) — AIR BAGS
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2004 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact was concerned about his safety because of the "Do Not Drive ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
First incident, I purchased my vehicle in November 2022 in March 2023 my transmission failed. When replaced, the dealer didn't connect all hoses causing more issues and now my car struggles to shift. Dealerships made aware several time. Second incident, over the past year my infotainment system has been glitching. Switching between all settings, from the radio to the Bluetooth, screen freezing, et... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Two different incidents involving the transmission. The first was going at a moderate speed, it’s a nine speed transmission. It shifted down into second gear, revving the engine horribly and throwing me forward somewhat. If this had happened at highway speeds it could have locked up the back wheels causing me to loose control of the vehicle. I have picture of the dash panel showing it shifted do... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Car aggressively shakes and steering wheel shakes / jerks itself side to side when accelerating. Getting worse with time. GMC has it as a known issue but has been for months. Problem is getting worse the more it is driven. GMC says it is “safe”.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Car aggressively shakes and steering wheel shakes / jerks itself side to side when accelerating. Getting worse with time. GMC has it as a known issue but has been for months. Problem is getting worse the more it is driven. GMC says it is “safe”.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Car aggressively shakes and steering wheel shakes / jerks itself side to side when accelerating. Getting worse with time. GMC has it as a known issue but has been for months. Problem is getting worse the more it is driven. GMC says it is “safe”.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Vehicle started randomly displaying service, four-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive unavailable. Eventually, the service light remained on consistently. The car went to a mechanic who checked with the dealer and they confirmed an undocumented issue with the PTU board on the transfer case. My mechanic was informed that there is a warranty extension that the dealer implements if this issue occurs, ho... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
My 2025 Tesla Cybertruck AWD (VIN: [XXX] ) was returned to me after the first service visit (Invoice XXX Tesla Palo Alto, 8/22/2025) with the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) speaker disconnected. The disconnection occurred during front-end service work at that visit, which included front fascia inspection and removal. The technician did not reconnect the PWS speaker before returning the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
The car stalls and began to jerk then shuts down the crash symbols comes on and goes off.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
My 2025 Tesla Cybertruck AWD (VIN: [XXX] ) has a recurring failure of the right rear seat occupant detection system, which governs airbag deployment and is certified by Tesla to meet FMVSS 208. The same alert (internal code RCM2_a698) persisted through two official repairs at Tesla Palo Alto: 1st repair (Invoice XXX, 8/22/2025): seat belt buckle replaced. Alert recurred 2 days later, August... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
I am reporting Certification Fraud and severe safety violations by Central Florida Toyota. This vehicle was sold as "Toyota Gold Certified" on March 28, 2026, while having an active safety recall (NHTSA 26V203) with no available remedy. Furthermore, a professional inspection revealed a high-voltage hybrid system leak and structural damage (bondo/rust) on engine mounts, indicating a hidden prior co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2026
While driving on the interstate, while using cruise control, my vehicle braked and decelerated, uncontrollably. The collision alert alarm went off. I forced the vehicle to accelerate and it stopped the braking and the collision alarm ceased. I took the car to the dealer and they spend the day checking it over. They said they couldn’t get the same reaction I reported, but reset the cruise contro... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2026
While driving on the interstate, while using cruise control, my vehicle braked and decelerated, uncontrollably. The collision alert alarm went off. I forced the vehicle to accelerate and it stopped the braking and the collision alarm ceased. I took the car to the dealer and they spend the day checking it over. They said they couldn’t get the same reaction I reported, but reset the cruise contro... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2026
While driving on the interstate, while using cruise control, my vehicle braked and decelerated, uncontrollably. The collision alert alarm went off. I forced the vehicle to accelerate and it stopped the braking and the collision alarm ceased. I took the car to the dealer and they spend the day checking it over. They said they couldn’t get the same reaction I reported, but reset the cruise contro... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I was driving and noticed a very strong smell of an electrical fire. The truck popped up a High Voltage Battery warning and several warning lights came on. We stopped, restarted the truck and the lights came on again, the smell returned as soon as we started driving. We drove the truck to Cable Dahmer GMC in Kansas City, MO. Service advisor Kracinda asked us to exit the vehicle as quickly as po... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I was driving and noticed a very strong smell of an electrical fire. The truck popped up a High Voltage Battery warning and several warning lights came on. We stopped, restarted the truck and the lights came on again, the smell returned as soon as we started driving. We drove the truck to Cable Dahmer GMC in Kansas City, MO. Service advisor Kracinda asked us to exit the vehicle as quickly as po... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I have received this warning a few different times “Steering Assist is Reduced". Which causes my vehicle to not blow cold air when AC is on. Fans are louder than normal. And when I turn off my vehicle fans continue to run for roughly around 8 minutes.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
Vacuum pump failed: On May 28th, 2025 the brake pedal on our 2019 Chevrolet Equinox became very hard along with check engine light, a "Reduced Power" notification, and "Brake Assist Failure" notification. After a mechanic inspected the engine, he found that the vacuum pump had shattered. The mechanic replaced the pump with an OEM replacement from GM. On May 11th, 2026 the same exact issue happen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2026
My vehicle has abrupt unintended downshifts straight down to first gear at fast speeds, which is causing rear-wheel lockage near heart attack and near-loss of control spinout. The sudden downshifting causes a loud violent high extreme RPM engine over rev. sounding as if it is about to blow up or an internal explosion. This is occurring at highway speeds up to 70 mph. At these speeds, is an immedia... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
Automatic high beam headlights fail to work properly most of the time will not go back to low beams when a vehicle is in the opposite lane also will not go to high beams when no vehicles are in sight very frustrating and dangerous
Incident date: May 11, 2026
To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting a formal complaint regarding the handling of an unresolved safety recall involving my vehicle by Nissan, as well as the lack of communication, escalation support, and resolution provided by Nissan Customer Affairs. Despite multiple attempts to resolve an active safety recall, I have not received a follow-up call or any meaningful update regarding the statu... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that on several occasions at various speeds, when the vehicle went over bumps in the road, it shook more than usual. Additionally, when the vehicle was slowed down and the brake pedal was depressed, it took more effort to depress the pedal. The vehicle was taken for inspection, where it was determined that there was a steering suspension ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact’s daughter stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly lost motive power with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the battery solenoid needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding Safety Recall 01C (NHTSA 25V-011) and the handling of my vehicle by both the dealership and Stellantis. My vehicle exhibited fault codes and conditions consistent with the defect described in Recall 01C, including: DTC C1477-4B (Transfer Case Clutch Over Temperature) DTC C1440-64 (Transfer Case Clutch Pressure Sensor) Documented drivetrain control module ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning and a " engine fault service now message appeared and also idled roughly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed as a coolant leak into the engine block that caused misfires in cylinder two and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The daytime running lights are not working. It is a safety concern by not being seen easily by oncoming drivers. No warnings were given prior to going out. This seems to be a common problem among same vehicle make and model according to forums on the internet. The only way to be repaired is to replace the entire headlamp assembly at a cost of $1500-$2000 which is not feasible.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the check engine light began to flash. The driver pulled over. The vehicle was knocking. The contact stated that failure was due to premature engine failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a cylinder 3 lifter malfunction. The vehicle had misfired. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
On Thursday May 7th, while driving the 2017 Honda Pilot Elite it lost power and all the dash lights started to come on. Once we limped it to our home, and the code information was obtained, it revealed number 3-cylinder misfire. After replacing all the spark plugs, I started the car to make sure all the codes were cleared and heard a "knocking noise". After further investigation noted the follo... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
1 month after warranty was up the dash light came on. After researching and speaking with the dealers. Pull the F11 fuse then try un hooking the negative battery terminal. This worked for a few weeks. Then told it could be a software issue. I spent many hours search the internet only to find out there are thousands of trucks dealing with the same issue. Why is there a recall on a grill and not th... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
first incident rear defrost tab would come on and get so hot it was burning the rear glass. major fire risk burning the components, reported to dealer, dealer replaced glass and component, no warnings, owner reported "smelling something burning". fire fighter found burned glass and component which was then unplugged. 2nd- hub centric ring loose and causing noise rubbing inside of wheel. owner stat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2026
Special coverage programs for the 2018 Chevy Traverse front exhaust pipe mounting bracket failure. GM has focused on coverage specifically on 2019-2021 models, but 2018 models are affected as well. I'm being forced to pay for a new exhaust when 2018 models should have been included for the Specific special coverage (e.g., N212356540, N222385510) exists for 2019–2021 vehicles, offering repairs (s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2026
have a bad bearing in the transmission, which makes a whining noise when driving. Was notified that the transmission will go out at some point. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer. No warning lights have been triggered for the problem.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
I am writing to report a suspected case of odometer fraud involving a vehicle currently listed for sale at Stacey’s Auto Sales, located at [XXX] . Vehicle Details: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport VIN: [XXX] Asking Price: $8,995 Current Listed Mileage: 108,540 I obtained an NMVTIS vehicle history report which shows this vehicle was listed at a dealer (Revolutionary Auto) in December 2020 with 150,439 mil... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
While operating my 2013 Lincoln Navigator under normal driving conditions, a spark plug ejected from the cylinder head, causing immediate and catastrophic engine failure. The engine lost power and began producing severe mechanical noise, creating a potential safety hazard due to sudden loss of propulsion. Inspection by both an independent mechanic and an authorized Ford dealership confirmed that t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
When the forward collision warning activates, the braking pedal loses its effectiveness and causes the car to brake much more slowly than it should, which actually increases the chance of a collision occurring. This has happened multiple times to me in the past few weeks. It is a very dangerous problem.
Incident date: May 8, 2026
My husband was driving on a highway going 70 MPH and the drivers headrest exploded and lunged him forward